Robert Jenrick is facing heat from his Tory leadership rivals for claiming UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”, as he is set to appear on the Conservative conference main stage.

Mr Jenrick, frontrunner in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak, suggested in a campaign video the British military is taking lethal action because of fears that European human rights laws would free any detained assailants.

He was met with swift criticism from his campaign rivals.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat suggested it demonstrated “a fundamental misunderstanding” of the law of armed conflict.

James Cleverly – who will also appear on the main stage at the Birmingham conference on Tuesday – told broadcasters Mr Jenrick would have to “justify that statement”.

The British military always abide by international humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict

The former foreign secretary said: “That’s not something which I’m comfortable kind of repeating.

“The British military always abide by international humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict.”

The conference has been a subdued affair in which Tory members are seeking to regroup after their crippling election defeat.

As it entered its penultimate day, the gathering was overshadowed by global events.

Israel began a military incursion into Lebanon on Monday night, sparking the UK Government to warn British nationals in the country to leave amid concerns about the widening conflict.

Mr Cleverly told Sky News that Israel has “the right to defend itself” but that his support comes with the caveat that the country must “continue to adhere to international humanitarian law”.

With criticism focused on Mr Jenrick, heat had moved away from Kemi Badenoch’s earlier remarks that statutory maternity leave pay was “excessive”.

On Monday, she compared her comments with the often-repeated quote attributed to Margaret Thatcher that there is “no such thing as society”, from an interview the ex-prime minister gave to a women’s magazine about the importance of family.

Analysis by polling company Ipsos has, meanwhile, suggested voters who deserted the Tories at the general election did so for a host of reasons.

To win them back, the Tories would need to “convince quite different groups of voters the party shares their values”, Ipsos director of politics Keiran Pedley said.

While winning back voters from Reform UK has pre-occupied the attention of many in the Conservative Party, members were warned Green candidates could thwart them in council elections next year.

Senior Tory councillor Phil Broadhead told activists that voters had “got a lot of their anger out of their system” at July’s general election.

The Conservative Councillors’ Association chairman described Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as a potential threat to his party’s electoral success in May 2025, but added that Green Party candidates have won victories in “posh Tory areas” where people “care about these particularly environmental protection issues”.

“So, I think we need to occupy that space and regain it,” he added.